The invention relates to a method of reinforcing the holding strength of an anchoring element embedded in a concrete slab. The method of the invention serves in particular to improve the holding strength of anchoring elements for fixing base plates supporting the rails of a rail track laid on a concrete slab.
Document FR 2 425 014 discloses anchoring elements that are embedded directly in a concrete slab and that make it possible to fix a rail of a rail track, each of those anchoring elements being constituted by an anchoring sheath having a metal outside casing provided with multiple beading and by an anchor screw that screws into the anchoring sheath.
Such anchoring elements are usually embedded in the slab merely by casting the concrete around the anchoring element under gravity. However, it is often difficult to obtain good contact between the concrete and the anchoring element due, for example, to air bubbles forming at the interface between the anchoring element and the concrete, or when the surface state of the anchoring element makes it impossible for good adhesion to be obtained naturally between the concrete and the element, or else when a phenomenon of repulsion occurs because of the texture and of the nature of the materials in contact, as happens in particular when the anchoring element is galvanized or passivated, which limits the holding strength with which the anchoring element is held in the concrete slab. For a rail track, it is important for the anchoring elements to be held firmly in the concrete slab in order to guarantee excellent holding of the rails of the rail track.
An object of the present invention is to provide a method of reinforcing the holding strength with which an anchoring element is held in a concrete slab, which method is simple and inexpensive to implement.
To this end, the invention provides a method of reinforcing the holding strength of an anchoring element embedded in a concrete slab, wherein, prior to casting the concrete slab around the anchoring element, the anchoring element is coated with a mortar that is made up of a resin mixed with sand and cement.
According to another characteristic of the invention, the resin is an ethylene vinyl acetate polymer.
According to another characteristic of the invention, the anchoring element is constituted by an anchoring sheath receiving an anchor screw, and having a galvanized metal outside casing.
According to yet another characteristic of the invention, the anchoring element is used for fixing a rail track.